Alexandria "Alexis" Deva VS. Lan
Ty had won, and neither Sophia, Aedre nor Amber were taking part in the challenge for now, but there was still one more opponent to battle. Once he'd gotten his Pokemon healed, Lan calmly headed back into the arena, eyes turned to the doors as he awaited the next challenger.
The seconds ticked by, but he remained ever patient. It seemed the combatant needed some time to get ready.
Alexis looked at her team once again. She had to win this time. She just had to! She didn’t know why, but this felt personal...everything felt personal. If she couldn’t win here, then how was she supposed to achieve anything she wanted? … She took a moment to breathe. She had to focus. She wasn’t even through the door yet, and she was worried. It wasn’t like how it was last time. To her, the doors were no longer simply doors, but a gateway that exudes despair and desperation. She can’t have that. She won’t have it.
Alexis returned her Pokémon to their pokeballs, and proceeded to the room, donning a confident grin. It was all she could do until they begin.
Facing Alexis from the opposite side of the room, Lan bowed his head. Despite her grin, the girl showed none of that bravado from last time round. Only the referee's voice filled the room, announcing the terms of the challenge while Alexis remained silent.
"I trust you've grown as a trainer," Lan said softly, taking a Pokeball.
"Now, show me what you've learned." With that, he let out his Pokemon of choice.
"Furfrou." In a flash of light, the dog trotted onto the battlefield.
”Oh, please. This won’t end the same way. This time we won’t play around!”That’s what Alexis says, but even then, the Furfrou would be dangerous even for her new Pokémon. She couldn’t send Meditite in just yet. She had to whittle his team down as much as they can. It wasn’t that she lacked faith in the rest of her team, it’s just that she knew that no matter how prepared they were last time, it didn’t matter. All they could do for now is hit as hard as they could.
”Gabby! You’re up first!”Alexis sent out her Eevee, who snickered like she was cause some mischief mid-fight.
Standing before Gabby, the Furfrou remained calm even in the face of the snickering, as did Lan. For all Alexis' joking around last time, the difference in her behaviour showed her willingness to take this match seriously. Maybe even
too seriously, as if, like Sophia, she had something to prove.
"Start this with Toxic," Lan called. Padding forward and shaking his fluffy body, Furfrou sent a cloud of purple spores flying into the air and scattering all over Gabby.
After Gabby got covered in that purple haze of obvious poison, it was clear that she wasn't feeling all that well. She still snickered, but you could see the effect that it was having on her small body. Thankfully poison used in official pokemon battles aren't lethal, so that wasn't a cause for concern, but even so, they had few options in order to work with. For now, Alexis knew the only way forward from here on out was to whither his first pokemon down as quickly as possible.
”Gabby, whatever happens, just Tackle it!"The Eevee responded with gritted teeth and a brave charge forward. She sprinted straight at the Furfrou, and slammed herself onto him, yelping in surprise. Though she had harmed him, she had felt something like sharp rocks dig into her body upon impact. Upon looking at it now, it seemed as if there was some sort of rocky protrusion hiding amongst the fluffy fur of its head.
”That sneaky little-", muttered Alexis. She didn't even know how he even put that helmet on the dog like that.
Furfrou's thick coat cushioned most of the blow, but still he staggered, dazed and bruised. Shaking off the attack as much as he could, he straightened his posture, ready to retaliate. The successful poison attack and the rock-studded helmet, while certainly helpful, didn't mean he could lower his focus or his guard.
"Move in to attack with Secret Power." At Lan's command, Furfrou built up a white aura around his body, sending it at Gabby in a wave of energy.
As the ball of energy collided into Gabby, it didn't hurt as much as it looked, but certainly put pressure onto the trainer and pokemon. There was only one on the team that could properly counter the setup this gym leader had to offer, and they were less likely to win without a handycap. They had to keep going. They were only one move in, and they hadn't even sent in their trump card yet. So against better judgement, Alexis repeated her command,
”Tackle again!"Though Gabby wasn't a big fan of slamming into a pokemon with natural cushioning and a helmet with rocks sticking out, she did what her trainer had said. One could see that the pain was starting to get bad. the Eevee was panting, exhaustion beginning to reveal itself to everyone watching...But then she started snickering again. Gabby flicked her tail upwars, and from it a berry had flung out. When it began its descent, Gabby jumped into the air and ate quickly. Her mouth wasn't big enough to eat the whole thing in a single moment, so it was a messy action, but by ingesting it, the Eevee looked as if she could go on, if only for a little while longer.
'
When did she get that?!', thought Alexis. She hadn't found or bought anything of the like. Gabby must have found it while they were training...
Lan watched as Gabby replenished her energy with a mid-battle snack.
"You're prepared, I see, as it's important to be for official challenges." Even if said preparation hadn't been planned - Alexis' surprise wasn't lost on him - it was still something to take note of.
He turned his attention back to Furfrou, whose strength had started to falter, as evidenced by a slight totter.
"Now, defend with Cotton Guard." The poodle's already thick fur puffed up to twice its usual volume, making him look like a cloud with eyes peering out. Giving Gabby a sharp stare as if daring her to make fun of his appearance, Furfrou braced himself for her next move.
Both Alexis and Gabby knew the situation they were stuck in. Gabby wasn't gonna make it through the match. Her moveset was limited, she was lightly poisoned, her opponent had a helmet that countered physical attacks, and Gabby only just barely hung on to consciousness with that berry she found. Even if she was swapped out, she would be knocked out the next time she fought. So, they both had silently agreed on one thing: keep fighting until the end.
If Gabby was gonna go down, she was going to go down swinging, and thus there was no need for Alexis to say anything. The mere look in their eyes showed that they both knew what the next action would be. Gabby simply charged forward and tackled into the furfrou once again, only feeling the pain of both the poison and the helmet after impact. She still stood, but she looked close to passing out.
Gabby may have been on the verge of fainting, but Furfrou's state wasn't much better. Even with the mass of fluffy fur protecting him, he panted, legs trembling. Nonetheless, both Pokemon showed equal resolve, as did Alexis, neither trainer nor Pokemon having to speak to understand each other's intentions. Quite some bond, Lan noted.
"Use another Secret Power," he instructed. Furfrou steadied his legs, that white glow building up again to form a searing energy blast.
After the attack hit, it seemed to throw Gabby into a daze. Not a confused daze that would result in her hurting herself, but her body seemed to drop in strength immediately. She collapsed, but did not drift into unconsciousness. She wanted to fight, she wanted to hit the furfrou one more time...but her strength failed her. All she was able to do before losing consciousness was kick sand at the furfrou...
Alexis returned the Eevee to her pokeball. Despite how much closer they were to winning this time, she felt despair begin to well up inside her. She had started to doubt herself again...but that self-doubt was not enough to prevent her from continuing. She needed to keep going. Otherwise...Otherwise...
Before she thought too deeply, she reached for Yuki's pokeball and sent her out. She hadn't meant to, but she simply needed to keep going.
Furfrou shook dust everywhere, some of it clinging to his fur as he blinked and rubbed his eyes with the back of his paw. When he looked up, the bleary image in front of him wasn't of the Eevee, but his next opponent, a small cone-shaped Pokemon.
Lan, on the other hand, had watched the switch, noticed the prior hesitation. Still, for all Alexis' silence, it was clear she wasn't about to give up.
"A wise choice, to keep going," Lan told her with a slight gentle smile,
"as it's too early to predict the outcome. You'll just want to make sure to inspire your Pokemon with that resolve." The more confidence a trainer displayed, the better for their team's morale, so Alexis would do well to have more faith in herself.
"Furfrou, use Toxic again." The poodle shook once more, scattering not sand but purple spores. Despite his watering eyes from Gabby's attack, the spores hit their mark.
This wasn’t good, they had to stop the spores somehow. How does a dog like that even have poisonous spores without getting poisoned itself anyway?! She had to focus. They had to trade-off. It was probably too much to hope for this to blow away the Toxic attack, but at least they can get a hit in.
”Powder Snow, now!”Yuki complied, and exhaled a strong breeze that carried soft frozen energy. Alexis was right to think that it wouldn’t stop the Toxic attack from landing, but what she hadn’t expected was for it to be enough to freeze the furfrou in place.
As much as she wanted to celebrate the small victory, she couldn’t let Yuki keep fighting. They have a chance to finish this before they lose momentum. She recalled her Pokémon and took a moment to calm herself. She was about to use a Pokémon she had only recently caught. She had no idea how they would work together, only had a small idea of Meditite’s moveset, and was overall not confident in their coordination. But at the very least, she had to put her trust into the fighting Pokémon.
”Meditite...Let’s see what you got!”The Pokémon simply levitated over to the arena, eyes still closed...
A Meditite. Now, this was a Pokemon Lan hadn't seen Alexis send out before.
"Good strategy, although remember type advantage isn't everything," he told her.
"Furfrou, hold on, and break through that ice."For a few seconds, the crystallised Furfrou remained motionless. Just when it looked like the ice would hold fast, cracks appeared. Small shards fell to the floor as the Furfrou struggled. Still, it wasn't enough to break free.
"You're getting there," Lan reassured him.
"Use Secret Power." White light flickered around Furfrou, then flared, cracks in the ice deepening as it started to thaw from the energy. Once enough of it had melted for him to properly move, the dog lunged forward and unleashed another glowing beam. Between the shivering and the sand in his eyes, however, his aim wasn't at its best. The beam shot past Meditite and fizzled to nothing.
Despite dodging the first shot, Meditite was still wild and was not used to opponents being stunned in shock when their attacks miss altogether, so when the Furfrou shot out another Secret Power, Meditite was unprepared. Still, she took the hit like a champ and countered with a rather powerful attack of her own. A punch that would drain the energy out of her opponent in order to heal her wounds. Given it was a type advantage, it was an especially painful attack for the Furfrou. Yes, the rocky helmet that he wore still hurt Meditite, but it was much less harmful than a direct attack.
Alexis was surprised for a moment. She wasn't expecting Meditite to be as strong as what was shown. But after a quick moment to collect herself, she started laughing hautily, as if she had planned this moment out.
As the Furfrou collapsed, the last of his strength spent, the opposing Meditite's own wounds faded.
"Good battle, Furfrou," Lan said, recalling the canine Pokemon before turning his gaze to Alexis.
"Drain Punch. A powerful technique, for low and high levels alike," he commented. Alexis' suprise being obvious, he continued,
"Still, you'd do well to call such moves. If your Meditite is a new Pokemon, you'll want to earn their trust and work as a unit."He sent his next Pokemon, his Fighting counter, into the fray.
"Doduo." The bird, with his four black, beady eyes, studied his opponent.
"Aerial Ace." Darting forward at an alarming speed that not even a Meditite's grace could evade, Doduo jabbed with both beaks.
Before Alexis could think up a proper response, Doduo was released and put her into a state of fear. She knew the basic type advantages and disadvantages, and this was going to be painful for Meditite. When the dual beak bashing commenced, Alexis was worried that Meditite was done for...but much to her surprise, Meditite toughed it through, barely staying conscious.
Thinking quickly, the self-proclaimed rising star recalled something from earlier when she had caught Meditite.
”Thunder Punch! While it's still close!"Meditite clenched her fist tightly, veins practically popping out as electricity suddenly generated out of her muscles at an astonishing rate. She pushed through the pain and forced her fist onto the body of the doduo. After a yell, the generation of electrity had suddenly doubled and could be visibly seen as it transfered from around her fist into her opponent.
Thunder Punch. Lan couldn't say he'd expected the Electric type move that sent Doduo toppling unconscious in one hit, not at early levels, but his surprise didn't show. Some Meditites, after all, hatched capable of the various elemental punches.
"You know how to counter disadvantages," he commented, recalling Doduo and sending out his last Pokemon.
"Bunnelby, your turn."Materialising from white light, Bunnelby took her fighting stance, ears poised at the ready as she took in Meditite's weakened state.
"Quick Attack." Bunnelby bolted forward, her sheer speed leaving a white energy trail, and struck with one of her paw-like ears.
Bunnelby using a quick attack! This was perfect! Meditite would finish this quickly! There's no way that she would go down from a single quick attack...is what Alexis would have thought if the combined damage of literally the entire opponent's team hadn't finally knocked Meditite out of consciousness. She returned her to her pokeball to rest, but now Alexis was in a bind. She only had Yuki left to use, and she was poisoned. They...They might not win this time either.
Alexis was scared. Scared that she would prove to be horrible trainer with not a single meaningful win to her name. All that bluster, all that talk...Meaningless if her win/loss record showed otherwise. She had to win. They HAD to.
So when she sent Yuki back out to fight, she could not think straight.
”Powder Snow."Yuki released a wind of snow and ice at the Bunnelby.
The frosty wind buffeted Bunnelby, who staggered back several paces, shivering. She leapt over to where she'd been - only to slip in the snow, taking even more damage. Her shuddering and the powder all over the arena would hinder her usually speedy moves, but Lan had an idea how to offset the disadvantage.
"Slow Snorunt down with Bulldoze."Bunnelby hopped to a dry patch and jumped up high, slamming her feet into the ground hard enough to send shockwaves at Yuki.
Yuki the Snorunt was knocked about by the shockwaves and felt the poison sting its way through her body, still, she stayed strong. She wasn't done just yet. Alexis should have some sort of idea for how to handl-
”Powder Snow"...Again? For a moment, Yuki was confused, but decided to follow through anyway.
"Again, Bulldoze." Bunnelby, now with the upper hand in terms of speed, got in another shockwave attack before the second flurry of snow hit. She sagged, barely keeping herself upright, but kept her focus on Yuki.
As Lan called to her to repeat the attack a third time, she summoned all her strength, bounding up and striking the ground with such force the gym leader had to step back. Even the spectators would feel tremors from that. Lan watched the crucial moment unfold - whether or not the Snorunt endured the hit would likely decide the match's outcome.
"Again, Bulldoze." Bunnelby, now with the upper hand in terms of speed, got in another shockwave attack before the second flurry of snow hit. She sagged, barely keeping herself upright, but kept her focus on Yuki.
As Lan called to her to repeat the attack a third time, she summoned all her strength, bounding up and striking the ground with such force the gym leader had to step back. Even the spectators would feel tremors from that. Lan watched the crucial moment unfold - whether or not the Snorunt endured the hit would likely decide the match's outcome.
With the repeated bulldoze attacks affecting Yuki's surroundings, she slowed in a variety of ways. The now difficult terrain was rocky enough to both impede movement via bad footing, and impede aim via obstacles obscuring her line of sight. Still, Alexis directed Yuki to repeat powder snow once again, and after findin her aim, the Snorunt complied. Even when the poison began to worsen in terms of effect, she continued the snowy assault.
The blast of wind and snow flipped Bunnelby right over. She tried to stand, only to moan and flop back into the slush.
Applause went up as Lan withdrew Bunnelby.
"You have indeed grown since last time," he told Alexis, fetching four small cases before making his way around the rather beat-up battlefield.
"Take this - the Simplicity Badge." He presented her with the round, yin-and-yang patterned badge.
"And one of these of your choosing."Each case bore a label with a move name and description - Hidden Power, Double Team, Swagger and Round.
It took a while for Alexis to think straight. Without a word, she mindlessly took the badge and the case that was labeled as "Swagger" before leaving the gym. She didn't acknowledge the gym leader's words of praise, because they meant nothing to her. That victory was not brought about by any amount of actual skill, nor was it a result of their own training. It was pure luck. Luck always had its place in every success, but Alexis felt that any victory based on that alone was hollow.
It wasn't until she had already been quite a distance away from the gym that she realized that she and her team had gotten the badge. Sure, she could and probably will still find a way to gloat, but she could never find a way to call this a good experience.
Jerkchicken
Xantara Aradia